During a medical emergency, time is of the essence for a patient to receive the proper care from first responders. In such instances it is important that first responders are aware of a patient's medical history including allergies to drugs, current medications and medical conditions. It also becomes necessary to have the patient's emergency contact information and physician contact information. In many instances patients are unconscious and unable to provide any information to first responders. Conventional methods of providing such information include medical identification bracelets which may list an individual's allergies or medical conditions. However, only a limited amount of information can be included on such bracelets. There have also been attempts to store an individual's medical information on electronic storage devices such as flash drives or radio frequency identification cards (“RFID”) in the past. However, many of these devices are complicated to use and to store information on. In addition, many of these devices are carried in wallets or on key chains and can easily be missed by a first responder. In addition, such devices may be damaged in certain situations, such as if the devices become wet during a medical emergency involving water or if the devices are near flames. A further problem with conventional devices occurs if an individual is injured in a foreign country, thereby rendering the electronic storage device useless because the information stored on the device is not written in the first responder's native language.
Therefore, the need exists for a personal medical information device and system and method of use that allows a first responder or other medical personnel to access an individual's medical information.
The relevant prior art includes the following references:
Patent No.Issue/(U.S. Patent References)InventorPublication Date7,827,043TahanNov. 2, 20102010/0115609SpenceMay 6, 20102009/0295569Corwin et al.Dec. 3, 20092009/0101721Hawthorne et al.Apr. 23, 20092009/0076849DillerMar. 19, 20092008/0126729Cai et al.May 29, 20082008/0319798KelleyDec. 25, 20082007/0265884Lubell et al.Nov. 15, 20072007/0158411Krieg, Jr.Jul. 12, 20072006/0142057Schuler et al.Jun. 29, 20062006/0085226KamberApr. 20, 20062006/0015368HockeyJan. 19, 20062006/0010012Franzblau et al.Jan. 12, 20062005/0194270GombarSep. 8, 20056,845,063MitchellJan. 18, 20056,751,805AustionJun. 22, 20046,747,561ReevesJun. 8, 20042003/0150143HazardAug. 14, 20032003/0101077WholMay 29, 20032003/0058110RichMar. 27, 20036,513,720ArmstrongFeb. 4, 20032002/0120470Trice, Sr.Aug. 29, 2002D426,833VanelliJun. 20, 20005,658,016GoekenAug. 19, 19975,659,741EberhardtAug. 19, 19975,337,290Ventimiglia et al.Aug. 9, 19945,171,039DusekDec. 15, 19924,575,127MichelMar. 11, 19864,491,725PritchardJan. 1, 19854,318,554Anderson et al.Mar. 9, 19823,792,542CohanFeb. 19, 1974